


Counterpoint

by FoxVII



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Eventual Sex, Love Confessions, M/M, Mating Season, Sex In A Cave, Shounen-ai, Yaoi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-22
Updated: 2015-06-11
Packaged: 2018-03-02 20:52:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,983
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2825744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FoxVII/pseuds/FoxVII
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gray dimly wondered whether there was any limit to what he’d do for Natsu. In all honesty? Probably not.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Trapped

**Author's Note:**

> My first take on this pairing. Enjoy.

Gray had a certain weakness for tears.

That wasn’t to say that he had a weird tear fetish or anything, no, that wouldn’t be right. It’d be more accurate to say that tears made him _react_ and do things that he normally wouldn’t do.

Of course, different people’s tears elicited a different kind of reaction. For example, Lucy’s tears didn’t really faze Gray (at least, not so much anymore). Of course, it still bothered him to see her cry, but Lucy was _Lucy_ and so she cried a whole awful lot about usually silly things, and there was little Gray could do to solve the problem. Though, on the occasion that Lucy was crying about something genuine, it normally made Gray want to punch something (preferably whatever something was making her cry).

The same went for Erza. Though, the desire to punch the living daylights out of something or another was usually prefaced by shock that the proud and strong Titania was crying at all. Effectively, Gray was a bit useless for a minute or so before rage’s full force manifested itself within him.

Natsu’s tears were few and far between. The Dragon Slayer’s emotions tended to bypass sadness altogether and go headlong into anger, so there really wasn’t much time for crying in Natsu’s world. On the extremely rare occasion that Natsu did cry...well...that was another thing entirely.

The first time that Gray had seen Natsu cry was when they had both been children. Natsu had always been such a damn stubborn brat that it had caught Gray entirely off guard to see tears well up in those odd forest-green eyes. It had made him stop whatever he was doing (he didn’t quite remember what it was...was he teasing him about Igneel?) and turned him into a blubbering mess as he fumbled through some form of apology. Natsu, for his part, had promptly punched him in the face and ran off.

Gray had decided then and there that he never wanted to see Natsu cry ever again. The easiest way to make sure that he would never have to see Natsu’s tears was to ensure the other boy’s happiness. Natsu being Natsu, it wasn’t a particularly difficult task. If Natsu wanted to fight, they’d fight. If Natsu wanted to go on a mission, they’d go on a mission. Over time, Gray felt himself doing more than just making sure Natsu stayed happy.

He found himself doing more and more things that were for Natsu’s benefit, regardless whether or not it would keep Natsu smiling. Gray knew he needed to push Natsu to his limits and break through them, allowing the Dragon Slayer to become stronger. Case in point was that entire mess with Daphne and the Dragonoid. For all of its consequences, Gray’s seeming betrayal of Fairy Tail had been done for Natsu’s benefit. After all, they were rivals. They needed one another.

At the very least, Gray needed Natsu.

He dimly wondered whether there was any limit to what he’d do for Natsu. In all honesty? Probably not.

 

\-------

 

“Oy! Natsu! St--” It was too late. The metal bracer shattered under the force of Natsu’s fire-fueled punch. The stone above them began to crumble, falling down around them in large chunks.

“Gray, Natsu! Get out!” Erza barked out. One arm was thrown over her face for protection. Blindly, the red-haired woman reached for Lucy, nabbing the blonde by the shoulder. By some miracle Lucy managed to stay on her feet, something which was quite remarkable given how the ground was beginning to shake and the inordinate height of her heels. Together, the two women began to carefully pick their way towards the entrance of the abandoned mine shaft where they had chased their enemy.

With the rate at which the ceiling was caving in, they weren’t going to make it.

Gray threw his arms up above his head. He could at least give them a fighting chance. “Ice-Make: Ceiling!” Ice spread from his hands upward and out, covering the tunnel’s roof, stabilizing the structure, at least, for the time being. He could feel the rock pressing up against his ice and he grunted under the increasing pressure.

“Gray!” Lucy cried. With one look she had understood what Gray was trying to do. For all her loudness, Lucy was quite clever when she needed to be. With his hands fused to the ice above, Gray was effectively immobilized. If he let go, the stream of magic that he was pouring into the ice would stop, and the ice would shatter and vanish, and his effort would have been for naught.

“Get out!” Gray roared back.

“But Gray—“

“OUT! Erza!” He locked eyes with the Titania, looking at her imploringly. For a fraction of a second, a stricken expression crossed her face. It was gone as quickly as it came and Erza simply nodded once, her mouth set in a grim line. She grabbed Lucy’s arm, turned, and ran.

“You too, Happy.”

The little blue Exceed nodded, and flew off after Erza and Lucy.

“Oy! Natsu! What are you waiting for?” A look over Gray’s shoulder told him that Natsu was headed in the opposite direction: deeper into the mine. “Is your sense of direction that bad, Flame-Brain? You’re going the wrong way!”

“No! That bastard’s mine!” With that, Natsu was gone, chasing after his target.

“Natsu!” But he was long gone. “Dammit!” Gray growled. His ice began to crack dangerously above him and Gray was forced to one knee from the pressure. “Idiot flame-brain bastard...” He continued to curse the Dragon Slayer as he filled the tunnel with as much ice as he could produce, trying to stabilize the area with sheer volume. Bracing himself he released his hands and jumped backward, throwing himself deeper into the mine after Natsu. He could hear the ice crack and shatter behind him, unable to withstand the tonnes of earth above it. Gray threw himself clear of the cave-in, landing in the adjoining length of tunnel which was, thankfully, still held together by the bracers which criss-crossed the length of the tunnel.

Gray coughed and rubbed his eyes, trying to clear them of the dust which had been kicked into the air by the cave-in. He struggled to his feet, one hand clamped over his mouth and nose to prevent himself from breathing in any more dirt. In all the fuss the torches which had been lit had gone out, leaving Gray in pitch-blackness. Natsu had been lighting them on their way inside, and for once, Gray wished that he had some of Natsu’s literal fire-power. His eyes vainly scanned the gloom for some source of light.

He saw a flicker in the distance, accompanied by a dim roar.

Gray felt his way over to one wall and began to walk.

The flicker that Gray had seen turned out to be nothing more than a torch, one which had been, no doubt, accidentally lit by one of Natsu’s stray flames. Gray worked the torch out of its holder and carried it along with him, walking faster and more confidently now that he had something to light his way.

He heard an echo in the distance, something which sounded a bit like a broken ‘dammit’. “Natsu?” Gray called out, hearing his voice echo along the tunnel walls.

“Gray!”

“Oy! Natsu! Where the hell—“

“Here,” Natsu sounded more petulant than anything else. About one hundred feet away Gray saw something flare up. Natsu had lit himself up as a human-sized beacon.

Gray wasted no time in hurrying over to him, and thwacking him over the head with the torch as soon as he was within swinging distance. “Idiot!” he hissed at him.

“How the hell is this my fault!?”

“If you hadn’t been so careless...”

“Me? We wouldn’t be in this damn tunnel if you hadn’t let the bastard go in the first place!”

“Well, we wouldn’t have been chasing him if you hadn’t blown our cover!”

And so it continued. As always, punches were thrown. Somewhere along the line Gray lost his torch (which was a shame because it had been working _so_ well as a club), and his shirt. In turn, Natsu gained several bruises (which would only become more livid come morning), and a lump on his head (which wasn’t such a big deal considering that Natsu didn’t tend to use his brain anyway).

Eventually both men collapsed onto their sides, panting from the exertion.

“Where’s everyone else?”

Gray turned his head to the side so that he could look at the pink-head properly. “They escaped out before the exit caved in.”

“Good,” Natsu murmured. “Wait, cave in?” He suddenly sat up straight.

“Yeah, cave in, flame-brain. You know, when walls start to crumble and collapse because a certain _idiot_ decided to smash through all the supports?”

“I know what a cave in is,” Natsu retorted. “And you know what?” He raised a finger and pointed at Gray, who, in turn, waited for the impending insult with a slightly raised eyebrow. “Forget it.” The finger, and the arm fell away, and Natsu flopped backwards onto the ground, staring up at the darkness of the tunnel wall above. “Your stupid face isn’t worth arguing with,” he muttered.

Having no way to respond to that, Gray went back to nursing the bruise which had blossomed on his knee.

“I feel warm,” Natsu admitted, breaking the prolonged silence.

“Huh?” Gray looked up, giving the pinkette a critical once-over. “I thought Dragon Slayers didn’t get sick.” Something about how the dragon magic fused with the human body made dragon slayers impervious to normal human illnesses. That was, after all, why Laxus had been given a lacrima as a child. He had been sickly and weak, so Ivan had procured one for him, hoping to heal him...and to turn his son into an unstoppable destructive force. But that was a different issue.

“S’not that,” Natsu murmured in response. “Not like a cold or anything. It feels different...a bit like...” he trailed off, and, all of a sudden, the blood drained from his face. “Shit.”

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“ _What_?” Gray repeated, firmer this time.

“Nothing,” Natsu growled back, smoothly rising to his feet. “We need to find a way out of here.”

“Yeah, no shit. But what’s wrong with you?”

“I _said_ nothing!” Natsu snapped back, a little too quickly. “I mean. Yeah. It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it. I just need some fresh air, that’s all. I feel like I’m getting smothered in here.”

Gray scowled, not believing a single word which came out of the other teen’s mouth. “Okay...” He watched as Natsu paced back and forth, sniffing at the air. “Alright. _Now_ what are you doing?”

“Smelling for fresh air,” he explained. “There’s a cross breeze in here...If I can figure out where it’s coming from then—“

“Then it might lead us to a way out!” Gray jumped to his feet, excited. Fresh air had to come from _somewhere._ If Natsu had caught the scent of the outside, it meant that there might be an opening or, at the very least, another weak spot in the tunnels. “Alright. Any luck?”

“Shut up. Don’t rush me.” Natsu closed his eyes for a moment, turning on the spot. Forest green eyes flickered open a moment later. “That way,” he said, and strode off down the left-hand fork of the tunnel, leaving Gray to follow along behind him.


	2. Close Quarters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My apologies for the wait, everyone! Here's the next instalment...

The tunnel seemed to go on and on. Natsu strode ahead of Gray, sniffing the air, his nose twitching slightly as he did. He needed to put as much distance between himself and the ice mage as possibly could. Already he could feel the familiar, warm tingle beneath his skin and if he didn’t get out of here soon...

Well, he didn’t want to think about that.

His goal now was to make sure that it didn't get that far. With that in mind, Natsu picked up the pace, jogging now. Behind him, he heard Gray shift into an easy lope in order to keep up with him. After another minute more of jogging the pair came to a fork in the tunnel. Natsu’s head swivelled back and forth between the two openings as he tried to determine which was correct.

“Which one?” Gray asked. Natsu hissed and turned on his heel, his arm snapping out. The flat of his palm caught Gray squarely in the chest, the force of the blow sending him backwards by a few steps.

“What the hell was that for?” Gray yelled, indignant.

A wave of aggression roared up within Natsu. Yes, he wanted to fight. He wanted to claw and bite and _claim._ He wanted to _test_ him...but for what purpose?

That small curl of confusion was enough to distract him, and was enough that he could tear his mind away from that fog of mindless, animalistic instinct.

“You’re too close,” Natsu growled out. “I can’t smell anything except for your stink,” which was not a lie. It was as though Natsu’s nose was clogged up with the scent of Gray: the cold sharpness of winter air threaded through with the deeper, muskier smell of pine.

Gray’s face twisted into a scowl. “Well sor-ry,” he drawled out. “I haven’t had a chance to take a bath since you _trapped_ us in here.”

“Who even asked you to follow me?!” Natsu roared back. He wasn’t a patient sort of person to begin with, and the itch crawling around beneath his skin wasn’t helping. He turned his back, picked a tunnel at random, and began to walk. “Forget it. You find your own damn way out.”

“Natsu!” Gray’s voice echoed along the walls of the tunnel. “Dammit, Natsu, what the hell is wrong with you?” It sounded less like an accusation this time around, and more of a question. He walked forward, grabbing onto Natsu’s wrist. “Hey! Answer me!”

The last thread of his self control snapped right then and there, and Natsu turned, and pounced. Unprepared for the attack, Gray fell to the ground with Natsu on top of him. “Natsu! What the he—“ The rest of his words died in his throat as he took in the image of Natsu above him, green eyes gleaming with maniacal delight.

Natsu’s hips shifted slightly, and he pushed down, a noise emanating from his throat which could only be described as a purr. Gray stopped struggling then, his limbs stilled by shock.

Natsu...was _hard._

 _“What the fuck?”_ Gray thought.

Natsu lowered his head to brush his nose against Gray’s neck, drifting lower and lower.

 _“What the_ actual _fuck?”_

He could feel the soft, open-mouthed brush of Natsu’s lips against his neck, and he shivered. “Natsu,” he said, trying to sound as severe as possible, and failing. “What are you...?”

Another purr and then...

_Pain!_

Natsu’s teeth sunk into his flesh, the sharp canines easily piercing his skin to draw blood.

“Ow! Fuck! Natsu!” Gray’s struggling returned in full force. He still had a firm grasp on Natsu’s wrist, and he used it to his advantage, forcing the other man back, far enough that he could wedge a knee between them and deliver a swift blow to Natsu’s stomach.

The hit was enough to detach Natsu from his neck, and for Gray to wriggle out from under him. He had his suspicions before, but now he was certain. Something was very, _very_ wrong with his friend.

Natsu rose to his feet and wiped the blood from his lips with the back of his hand, somehow looking more delighted than he had moments before. He slowly made his way towards Gray, his steps, for whatever reason, unsteady.

Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, Gray pulled back his arm, and punched. His fist connected with the side of Natsu’s jaw, and sent the other man sprawling to the ground. He lay there, for a moment, looking stunned. Gray stayed where he was, ready for another attack. If necessary he’d just encase Natsu’s entire body in ice and drag him out of this God-forsaken mine. _Then_ he’d be able to get the help that he so clearly needed.

Natsu sat up, blinking. “Wha..?” His eyes landed on Gray’s shoulder and at the small, stream of blood making its way down his body. His eyes traced upward, landing on the obvious bite mark which allowed for the flow.

Green eyes widened. “Shit! Gray!” He was scrambling to his feet. “Did I...Oh, God. I did. I’m so sorry!” He was two steps forward, his hand reaching out before he stopped himself. He back-stepped rapidly, putting as much space between him, and the other man as he could. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” the apology fell from his lips in a continuous stream.

The taste of Gray’s blood still lingered in his mouth. The pull, the itch...both were now impossibly stronger.

This was bad.

“Natsu...” Gray tried to sound as soothing as possible. Natsu had regained his senses...for the time being. They needed to make full use of it...or, more precisely, of his nose and get out of here as fast as humanly possible. “It’s okay,” he told him. “Or at least, it’s going to be okay. Can you just tell me what’s going on? I want to help...”

“Help? You want to help? Then _stay away from me!”_ Natsu screeched. He didn’t want this. He didn’t want to hurt anyone. He cursed himself for coming on this mission. He had thought that they would finish in time...He shouldn’t have banked on that. He should’ve done what he did every year and gone on a ‘fishing trip’ with Happy. He should’ve brought Porlyusica’s potion with him and not worried about what the others would have said if they had seen him carrying around that small bottle, filled with green liquid. He could’ve kept it _with_ him, at least. But he hadn’t. He had put everyone in danger with his recklessness...

But at least this was Gray. He didn’t know what he would’ve done if one of the girls had ended up in here with him...In this small way, he had gotten lucky. He wasn’t about to throw that away now. “Please! Just stay away!” And with that, Natsu turned, and bolted down the tunnel.

Gray took a moment to watch Natsu’s retreating back, and wonder what God he had managed to offend. Evidently, whomever it was, it clearly had a knack for cruel and unusual punishment. Once they got out of here, he was going to pay a visit to all the nearby temples.

With a soft sigh, he jogged after Natsu, all the while calling for him to wait, to slow down, and to tell him that it was going to be okay.


	3. Closer Still

Luckily for Gray, the tunnel turned out to be a dead end. He found Natsu huddled up behind a rock, knees drawn up into his chest, trying to make himself look as small as possible. For a brief moment Gray was reminded of the games of hide and seek that they played as children...They had both come a long way from then, but it seemed that Natsu was still bad at hiding.

“Natsu?” he asked, softly.

Natsu buried his head into his scarf. “What? You bad at listening too, Snowman? I told you to stay away.”

“As if you’d listen to me if I told you that,” Gray replied, easily. He crept closer, closing the distance between them gradually, like he would if he were dealing with a small, frightened animal. _“Well,”_ Gray mused, _“In a way, I suppose I am.”_

“If I’m bad at listening,” Gray continued. “Then you’re worse.” He made it to the rock. “How many times did I ask you what was wrong, huh?” He leaned against it, arms crossed over his chest. “So...now that it’s damn obvious that you are _not okay,_ do you finally want to tell me what’s going on with you?”

For a long time, there was silence behind him as Natsu debated whether or not to come clean. On one hand, it would go a long way to explaining his behaviour of late. On the other...well, it was really, _really,_ embarrassing. Finally, he came to his decision, and whispered it aloud. “It’s dragon mating season.”

All Gray heard was something indistinct get muffled into a scarf. “What was that?” Gray prodded.

“Mating season,” Natsu said, louder, and clearer.

Gray stared ahead for a moment, then bit his lip to keep himself from laughing. “Mating season?” he asked, in the most level voice he could muster. A bit of a quiver came through anyway, and Natsu picked up on it.

“It’s not funny,” he growled back, annoyed.

“I know, I know. Sorry,” Gray quickly replied, in a tone that he hoped would come across as placating. “It’s just...odd, that’s all. Like animals...Do you all get it?” he asked, sounding genuinely curious.

The pink head in front of him nodded. “At least...I think so. Gajeel does...I sensed it on him.”

“Is that why he took off last week?” Gray asked. Levy was none too pleased to see that the Iron Dragon Slayer had up and left on a mission without a word...Granted, so did another slayer of theirs... Realization dawned on Gray and he nodded. “Laxus too?” He had vanished as well, going off on a mission _without_ his ever-present tribe.

Natsu shrugged. “He’s second generation, so I don’t know if it works the same with him. Never paid that much attention, to be honest.”

“Wendy?”

“Too young.”

Gray frowned. In a couple years, Wendy would be going through the same thing...with one main difference. “When she does, she’ll have a hoard of overprotective big brother figures making sure that she stays as safe from anyone’s...interference,” he said, with a smile.

Natsu chucked slightly in response, and Gray felt the tension in the cave drop slightly.

“You okay to walk?” he asked him.

Natsu’s shoulders tensed again as he gripped his knees tighter. “Yeah, but again, I shouldn’t be around you...”

Gray grinned wickedly. “So, you’re saying that I’m irresistible?” he asked. _That_ got a reaction. A foot shot out, heading directly for his head. Gray was mildly impressed. Natsu didn’t even look up. Gray deflected the blow easily, rolling to a safe distance, still grinning.

“Shut it, Ice Princess. Not even close.”

“Then get up.” Gray rose to his feet, dusting off the dirt that clung to his black pants. “The sooner we get out of here, the sooner you can get to screwing...whomever...” His chest constricted painfully at those words, but he didn’t stop to wonder exactly _why_ the thought of Natsu sleeping with anyone else would bother him. It was almost instinctive, at this point, to shy away from any thought that would bring to light exactly what it was that he felt for Natsu.

The pink-haired dragon slayer remained seated for a while longer before he finally uncoiled himself, rising to his full height. “Kay.”

Gray nodded approvingly and gestured for Natsu to lead the way. “I’ll walk...back here. Where I won’t be bothering you with my scent or anything.”

Natsu blinked at the surprisingly considerate gesture and then nodded. “Alright.” He didn’t bother telling him that it wouldn’t matter _where_ Gray was standing. His scent would waft over to him so long as he remained in the same area, carried over by the air as they moved along. Besides, now that he had tasted his blood it _really_ didn’t matter how far away he was. Natsu would be drawn to him regardless.

 _“Doesn’t matter,”_ he reminded himself, firmly. Soon they’d be out of the tunnels and then all Natsu would have to do is take his potion and lock himself in a room until this passed. Then everything would go back to normal...or so he hoped.

He just needed more time...

***

Natsu walked along slowly, the fingers of one hand skimming the stone wall. Gray had slowed his steps to match, drifting far enough back as not to be a distraction but...

Natsu groaned and sunk to the ground, pressing his heated cheek against the cool stone of the tunnel wall.

“Natsu!”

“No,” Natsu replied, weakly, trying, yet again, to warn Gray away from him. Either he hadn’t heard him, or he didn’t care, because seconds later, Gray’s concerned face appeared before him.

“Natsu...” he said again, frowning. “Shit, you’re getting worse.” Natsu was a shaky, pale mess in front of him. Earlier he was overly agitated and aggressive. Now it looked as though all that excess energy had been drained from him.

True, they had both been down here for quite a while, and yes, given the amount of magic energy that Natsu consumed, he did need to eat often, and a lot... But Gray suspected it wasn’t his hunger that was making him weak. He wasn’t sure how dragon physiology worked, but it seemed as though _not_ mating was not the right plan.

“Natsu,” he shook him lightly to gain his attention. “Natsu, what do you normally do to get through this?” He never recalled seeing Natsu in such a state before. But, given that the Dragon Slayers just seemed to go their own separate ways to deal with the matter, away from others, this was hardly surprising. “Do you just need some space to...uh....” he trailed off meaningfully.

“Jacking off isn’t going to help,” Natsu growled back, using anger to cover his embarrassment at having to talk to Gray, _Gray_ of all people about this. “And usually I just drink the stuff Porlyusica gives me...”

“Medicine? There’s medicine for this?”

“Yeah.”

Suddenly angry, Gray raised one hand to hit Natsu over the head. “Idiot! Why the hell weren’t you taking it then?”

“I _was_. I just missed a dose. I brought it with me. I didn’t think the mission was going to take so long.”

“You could’ve just not come. You could’ve said ‘no’!”

Green eyes narrowed at him. “Yeah, you’d love that, wouldn’t you? Not having me around? Hanging out with Lucy and Erza all by yourself?”

Gray scowled in return. “No, idiot. It’s not about that, I just don’t...” he trailed off, suddenly unable to speak.

“Don’t what?” Natsu demanded.

“Don’t....dont’t....” Gray looked down, his hair obscuring his eyes from view. “I just don’t like seeing you all messed up like this...that’s all.”

Natsu stared for a moment, not sure how to respond. Gray’s answer had caught him off-guard, given that it was so different from what he had expected him to say. A broad smile split his face a second later. “You l-l-l-l-ike me,” he declared, rolling the ‘l’ like Happy would have. He was gratified to see a blush instantly spread across Gray’s cheeks.

“What the hell, Natsu! I didn’t say that. Just because I don’t like seeing someone I know looking like they came out from a meat grinder doesn’t mean I _like_ you.”

A second later Gray found himself flat on his back, Natsu’s weight across his thighs as he was straddled, hands pinned above his head. Natsu dipped his head towards Gray’s neck, the tip of his nose brushing against where he had bitten him, revelling in the still-fresh scent of Gray’s blood. His tongue flicked out, licking over the small scab which had formed there. He felt a tremor run through the body beneath him, and he smiled against Gray's neck. “You like me,” he said, again, purring.

“No.”

Natsu released one of Gray’s wrists in favour of grasping the other man’s chin, turning his face to his. “Then push me away,” he said, his voice low.

He watched Gray’s throat bob as he swallowed. “Well?”

“God damn it.” Gray’s free hand came up, fisting the back of Natsu’s head to bring their lips crashing together. In the back of his mind he knew that when Natsu regained his senses, he was going to hate him.

Natsu moaned into the kiss, and Gray promptly forgot about everything else.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> C-c-cliffhanger! *doges the rotten tomatoes*  
> I am terribly slow when I write lemons, and while I did want to post it all in one go, I decided to post what I had instead of making you all wait longer. The next chapter _will_ be a full lemon, I promise!


	4. Turning Point

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the lemon chapter (finally!). If this isn't your thing, you can probably skip this entire chapter without missing out on any plot. 
> 
> I'd like to take a moment to thank you all for the kudos/comments. It's really gratifying to know that people are actually reading and liking this story, and it isn't just going into the proverbial internet ether. Thank you!
> 
> Now here we go! I hope you all like it.

It was rough; a slide of bodies, teeth and tongues. Had it not been for the guilt nagging at the back of Gray’s mind, it would have been perfect. All the same, he _wanted_ this, want him, to a degree that it shocked him. He wasn’t prepared for this intensity of emotion. He felt like he was being carried away, pushed along by an invisible, inescapable tide.

He was never one to spend time talking about his feelings. His time was better spent fighting, really. Fighting and forgetting. Like all Fairy Tail mages, he turned his angst and anger into productive (and often, destructive), energy. However, now more than ever, he wished he knew what was going on inside of Natsu’s head. What was he feeling right now? It was a very real possibility that Natsu wasn’t emotionally attached to this encounter at all. For all Gray new, this could simply be a release of pent up sexual, dragon mating-hormone fueled tension. The idea that he could walk away from this, their relationship unchanged, pained him.

All the same, it could be worse. Their relationship could change, irreparably so. Natsu could hate him. No, Natsu _would_ hate him. Never, in all the years that Gray had known him, did Natsu ever give any indication that he even enjoyed being in the same room as Gray. Their touches never went past the minimum required for battle. And now...

Well, they had now not only crossed that boundary, but left it crumbling in smouldering ruins behind him.

Natsu was like a wild animal that had spent too long in a cage. His hands were everywhere, running up and down Gray’s sides, the light scrape of his nails at every touch making his back arch against Natsu’s chest. Those hands finally closed around Gray’s hips to align their bodies together before he ground down against him. Both were still wearing their pants, and the friction of clothing against his sensitive flesh was, at once, too much and not nearly enough. “Natsu...”

Natsu growled above him in response to his soft moan. He bent down again, running his nose along Gray’s jaw, nipping his ear once before he buried his face in the other man’s hair. “Gray...smell...so good.” His words came punctuated by broken gasps as he continually rocked against him. A pleased rumble, almost a purr, reverberated through his chest.

Gray buried a hand in Natsu’s hair, twisting roughly to guide their lips back together. Tongues met, their rhythm matching that of their lower bodies. Natsu caught Gray’s tongue between his teeth, biting lightly. Gray bucked up against him, pawing at his body. His nails dug into Natsu’s back, dragging downward, leaving angry red lines in their wake. Natsu gasped, breaking the kiss, tilting his head back as he moaned in pleasure.

Gray took the chance to reverse their positions, using his leg and arm as leverage as he flipped Natsu onto his back, smirking down at the somewhat startled expression which appeared at the unexpected motion. Gray glanced down curiously at the exposed neck. Natsu took particular pleasure in his, so maybe...

Gray lowered his head, nosing past the scarf to scrape his teeth lightly across his skin. “Oh, fuck yes,” the words were hissed out as Natsu thrust his still-clothed groin against Gray, his hands twitching spasmodically. His breath quickened and he tilted his neck back further, an unconscious gesture for more.

“You like that, huh?” Gray asked.

“S-shut up,” Natsu replied, between pants. Pink dusted his cheeks, the shade of it matching that of his hair.

 _“Cute,”_ Gray thought to himself. He brushed his lips against one blushing cheek, before dragging them back down to the other man’s neck. He bit down this time. His teeth were, by no means, strong enough to break skin, but it hardly seemed to matter. Natsu writhed beneath him none the less, transformed into a gasping, shaking mess.

“G-gray!”

The soft keening cry served only to harden him further. “Shit, Natsu,” Gray swore. He pulled back, long enough to shuck off his pants. One blink and they were gone. “Sit up for a sec,” he directed.

Natsu blinked confusedly before complying, allowing Gray to manhandle him into a sitting position. Once his back was off the stone ground, Gray pushed the vest from Natsu’s body, kissing one of the newly-bared shoulders. Gray ran his hands down Natsu’s arms, then back up and down his front, flicking both nipples with his thumbs as he passed by them. The ice mage grinned at the light squeaking noise that he got in response to the gesture.

“You’re full of cute noises,” he commented. Forest-green eyes narrowed dangerously at him.

“Don’t you fucking call me cu—aagh!” The rest of the warning was cut off as Gray cupped Natsu’s erection through his pants, squeezing lightly before massaging his hand up and down its girth. Gray tore his eyes away from Natsu’s crotch and refocused back on the dragon slayer’s face.

“Are you sure?” he asked.

“S-sure about wha-aaht?” Natsu asked, between pants.

“This,” Gray replied, succinctly. It occurred to him that it was a rather inappropriately timed question, what with his hand still exploring the length of Natsu’s clothed erection. For his part, Natsu seemed to agree.

“You fucking treat me like a virgin princess and I swear, I will make you _hurt.”_

Gray looked down thoughtfully at Natsu’s crotch, head tilted to one side as he made a show of assessing what was in front of him. “Nah,” he said, finally. “Your dick ain’t big enough.”

“Oh yeah?” Natsu’s eyes glittered dangerously. He pushed Gray away from him and stood. He stuck his thumbs into the waist of his pants and pulled, removing both the pants and his boxers in one go. They puddled at his feet and Natsu neatly stepped away from them, leaving his shoes behind as well. Gray’s mouth dried up at the sight of a gloriously nude, fully erect Natsu in front of him.

Not one to be undone, Gray rose to his feet and denuded himself of his boxers. He boldly stepped forward, right into Natsu’s personal space. The two looked at one another, half glaring, half challenging, and both waiting for what would come next.

Gray looked down, grabbing both their dicks in one hand. Together, he could barely get his fingers to circle all the way around them, but, none the less, he pumped, once, twice. He brought his fingers to the top, slicking them with their combined pre-cum before continuing. Natsu stared, transfixed, mouth hanging open, panting harshly.

Gray squeezed, and Natsu moaned aloud, the back of his head hitting the stone behind him. “Hey,” Gray soothed. “Come forward. Lie down. It’ll be easier.”

Natsu nodded, and all but slipped bonelessly down the wall. Gray climbed over him, giving him another kiss before snaking his way down his body. “There’s something else I can do,” he said, his face level with Natsu’s very erect penis. He blew a stream of air across the sensitive tip, taking pleasure in Natsu’s pleasured cry.

He eyed the organ in front of him. He had, obviously, never given a blowjob before. He, however, had the pleasure of being on the receiving end of a few. It didn’t seem like a complicated process.

He gripped the base with one hand and wrapped his lips around the tip. He lapped at the slit, wincing at the bitter taste.

“Aaahn!” Natsu bucked up into his mouth with a loud groan. Unprepared for the accidental thrust, the length slipped further in, bumping the back of his throat. Gray choked, pulling back. A hand came down, threading into his hair and holding him there.

“Keep going,” the voice was rough, and full of want. It was so entirely different from Natsu’s usual tone that Gray paused, his mouth still half-full. He looked up, his own dick twitching at the raw aggression in Natsu’s eyes. He looked back down, tried his best to relax his throat, and kept going, using his hand to massage the length that he couldn’t fit into his mouth.

His jaw began to hurt, but he kept going, spurred on by the noises spilling out from the body beneath him. His name spilled from Natsu’s mouth, combined with various profanities and other intelligible sounds. “G-gray, fuck, yess, like that, aaanhng..”

Natsu’s eyes snapped open then and he tightened his grip on Gray’s hair, forcibly ripping him from his dick. Gray coughed and spluttered, opening his mouth to cuss Natsu out, but was promptly flipped onto his back by a well-placed kick.

Natsu was atop him in a second, pumping his dick rapidly. His eyes were hazed over with lust. He guided Gray’s hand to grasp his own length. “Together,” he ordered. Gray blinked, then obliged, timing his motions to match that of Natsu’s. The sight of him above him, the look in his eyes, and the noises which escaped him brought him quickly to the edge. He struggled to hold back, to oblige Natsu’s request.

“Na—“ he tried to ask if he was close, but the answer quite literally hit him in the face a split second later. Cum dripped down his chin. Natsu readjusted his grip, guiding the next spurt to land on his chest. His cum felt burning hot against his cool skin, and the knowledge that it was _Natsu’s_ cum was more than he could take. He came with a groan, his seed mixing with Natsu’s on his chest.

Gray closed his eyes, needing a second to gather his senses. Had he really done this? Did this actually happen? He felt Natsu stir above him. Gray opened his eyes blearily, watching as Natsu dipped a finger in the puddle of cum on his chest, stirring it together. The cum-slickened finger was brought up to Gray’s face and pressed against his lips, and into his mouth. Gray frowned, squirming away from the unpleasant taste. Natsu growled and pressed harder. Gray relented, allowing the finger to enter his mouth and brush against his tongue. Natsu removed the finger a second later, replacing it with his lips and a harsh, searing kiss.

_“Mine.”_


	5. Aftermath [Part 1]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for how late this is! First school and then a new job...Suddenly I'm working 50hrs a week. But, I seem to have gotten my wits together. Expect (somewhat) more frequent updates from here on out.
> 
> Thank you all for the comments/kudos! They really keep me going!

Natsu felt satisfied.

And guilty.

It was equal parts of both. The satisfaction came from the obvious: the physical release of tension and the afterglow, along with the rather animalistic knowledge that he had succeeded in taking a mate. As far as his body was concerned, all was well with the world.

Except it wasn’t, because the mate he had taken was  _Gray Fullbuster_ of all people. However, the most terrifying thing wasn’t the fact that it was Gray. It was the fact that the entire thing had seemed…consensual.

Being in heat wasn’t like being drunk. He had full recollection of what had transpired down in the tunnels. He remembered the fighting, the taunting and teasing. He remembered being slowly driven out of his mind by the mating urge. He remembered as it sapped away at his energy and his senses until he felt physically weak from trying to avoid it.

Dragons were typically solitary creatures. The mating urge was something of a biological adaption which essentially forced dragons to group together long enough for coupling to take place. One either gave into the urge, or spent a days afterward feeling tired, weak and miserable. There were no alternatives.

For Natsu _,_ however,there was. He wasn’t fully a dragon. Instead, he was dragon- _like_ due to the slayer magic given to him by Igneel. Thus, mediation was an option available to him, allowing him to control the urge in a way that a full-blooded dragon could not.

_If only he had taken the damn thing on time._

After his mind had cleared he and Gray had dressed, and Natsu took full advantage of his newfound clear-headedness to lead them out from the tunnels. The fresh air was coming from a slightly collapsed second entrance. Clearing it out had been short work, and then, they were free.

They stood there for a moment, waiting for their eyes to adjust to the blazing sun after spending so long in the semidarkness, silence stretching between them.

It was Gray who spoke first. He cleared his throat, “You said you had your, uh, medicine in your pack back at the inn?”

Feeling uncharacteristically nervous, Natsu nodded. “Yeah.”

“You should head down and take it. Y’know…before anything else happens.” Gray didn’t meet his eyes and Natsu made no effort to change this fact. 

“Before I jump someone else, you mean?” Natsu supplied, trying to keep his voice neutral.

Gray seemed unsurprised by the comment. “No,” he said, slowly. “It’s so you don’t start passing out again. You looked pretty miserable before…we…uh…” he trailed off, struggling to find the right words.

“Oh. Right. Yeah.” He hated this, feeling awkward, but what else could be done right now? What could he say or do to make it better?  _Hey, Gray, sorry that I just used you for some sexual release. Thanks for being a good bro. We cool?_

No. That wouldn’t work.

Natsu’s head swiveled back and forth as he sniffed the air. “The girls will be here soon,” he said, catching their scent and pointing down a path which circled around the mountain.

“Still go. I’ll cover for you.”

Natsu stared at him for a moment.

“What?”

“Nothing. You’re just…being really thoughtful.”

“And you’re sick, basically, right? It’s like an illness,” Gray shifted uncomfortably, casting nervous glances down the path.

An illness…he had called it an illness. Was he giving him a way out or was he trying to be understanding? What was the next step here? How did they move on?  _Could_ they even move on? Was Gray so nonchalant about this because he was experienced when it came to casual sex? Natsu was suddenly overcome by a wave of anger.

Gray was  _his._ How dare anyone touch his mate!

_“No. Stop. He’s not your mate. He’s your_ team _mate. Nakama. Friend. He didn’t ask for this. He didn’t know what he was getting into. Stop thinking this way.”_

Natsu shook his head clear and took of jogging down the other lane, the one that wound down towards the town. Perhaps it wasn’t like that. Maybe Gray was just worried about being found out. Lucy was ridiculously perceptive about these sorts of things, as was Erza. While he hadn’t seemed to mind what happened down there…and he wasn’t angry about it (he’d have gotten a fist to the face  _long_ ago if he had), he, none the less, didn’t want to publicize it. Maybe he even regretted it…

He shook his head again. Thinking in circles was getting him nowhere. Only time would reveal what came out of this encounter.

Natsu paused mid-jog and looked over his shoulder. “Thanks,” he called, feeling the need to say at least something before he ran off. He didn’t want to look like a coward. Natsu Dragneel was many things. Coward would never be one of them. “For…everything.”

_Thanks?_ Did he really thank him like he was some kind of dockside whore? Hell, even  _they_ got better than that: payment. Though… _paying_ Gray seemed equally out of the question. “Fuck,” Natsu swore to himself softly as he ran off.

***

Gray watched him go, mind swirling. It was too much to process all at once. Now wasn’t the time and place to sort through his tangled feelings regarding Natsu Dragneel. He had known for a long time that he would do just about anything if to helped him.

It wasn’t until an hour ago that he realized that anything truly did mean  _anything._ Natsu…owned him…truly and completely.

And it was terrifying.

“Graaaaaaaay!” Something blue and soft flew into his chest and Gray looked down to see a teary-eyed Exceed clinging to him.

“Happy!” He patted the cat on the head, peeling him off his chest.

“Where’s Natsu?” Happy asked, spreading his wings to fly up above Gray’s head to look around.

“He went back to town he…wasn’t feeling well.”

Happy’s eyes went wide, his paws coming up to cover his mouth. “I told him! I told him to take his medicine! He…” Happy trailed off, staring now at the bite mark, a livid red against Gray’s pale skin. The Exceed’s eyes grew impossibly wider. “He didn’t…”

Gray blushed. “He did. Listen, Happy, he went down to take his medicine so that he’d feel better. Go after him and make sure that he makes it, okay?”

Happy nodded, eyeing Gray with what was a mixture of caution, curiosity and amusement. “And are  _you_ okay?” he asked.

“Yeah…I’m fine.”

Happy nodded once and began to fly off.

“Wait!” Gray called. The blue Exceed paused to look at him.

“What?”

“Did you tell the girls what Natsu’s exact…condition was?” he asked. If Happy had mentioned it…

…well, he was going to be in for one  _hell_ of a time explaining himself.

Much to his relief, Happy shook his head. “I knew Natsu wouldn’t want them to know. I wouldn’t have said anything to you either except…” his eyes landed on the bite mark again. “I think you already found out,” he giggled.

“Yeah, the hard way,” Gray muttered. Realizing the double entendre of his words, he flushed a deeper red. “Whatever. Just get going.”

Happy wasn’t gone even a minute before Erza turned the corner, stomping over to Gray and pulling him into a crushing hug. Gray winced, his head crashing hard against Erza’s breastplate as she pulled him in. “Thank goodness,” she breathed, and then shoved him away.

“Where’s Natsu?” she asked, eyes narrowing dangerously.

 “I sent him back down to the town. Happy’s with him. He…wasn’t feeling well.”

“Not feeling well?” Erza prompted.

“No. Some kind of dragon slayer sickness. Humans can’t catch it but…it’s basically like he has a cold. Apparently he’s got some medicine in his pack for that and he was looking kind of miserable so I sent him down and stayed back to find you two,” Gray explained, in a breathless rush.

They stared at one another for a heartbeat as Erza decided whether or not to believe him.

“That idiot!” Erza exclaimed, a moment later. “Why would he come on a mission when he was sick?”

“Yeah…I was thinking the same…but that’s Natsu for ya,” Gray said, in response.

“Hah, hah…Erzaaa, slow dooown,” Lucy’s voice wafted over to them, and she appeared moments later, panting hard. Catching sight of Gray, she smiled brightly. “Oh! You’re okay! I’m so glad. But where’s--” she  gasped suddenly, a hand coming up to cover her mouth. “Gray you…your neck!”

Gray clamped a hand down over the bite.  _Shit._  “We fought. He bit me,” he explained, succinctly. It wasn’t exactly a lie.

“He…bit you?” Erza repeated, slowly. The two girls shared a glance and a bead of sweat trickled down the side of his face. Erza may have bought the bit regarding ‘dragon slayer colds’ but even he knew this was pushing it. Natsu didn’t really resort to biting and clawing when he fought.

Erza returned her attention to Gray, glaring at him. “I told you two not to fight!” she roared at him. Gray sighed in relief and sent another thank-you up to whatever God that had suddenly chosen to mercy him.

“Shit happens. Let’s get back to town,” Gray said, quickly. He was done tempting fate. Hand still over the bite he turned away, determinedly striding down to town.

He needed to buy a new shirt,  _now._


End file.
